The Gathering

On August 30th, 2003 members of Nippon Kan - Wisconsin met at St. Andrews Church in downtown Milwaukee Wisconsin to help with a local meal program called "The Gathering". In all we had over twenty volunteers and were pleased to include members of a local Tae Kwondo school which had become interested in community service after reading some information we had provided concerning the Aikido Humanitarian Active Network.

Over two hundred guests were served and it was one of the largest groups we have had to date. Having made plans for this event months before we had been unaware that the date coincided with the Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary and that the resulting parade would take place that day right in front of the church. Parking was at a premium indeed!

Programs such as “The Gathering” and our work with the “Hunger Task Force”, a local food pantry, are two examples of our community service work. It is part of a continuing effort to heed the call of Homma Kancho to extend the philosophy of Aikido into the world beyond the dojo.

Respectfully,
Steven McClure
Aikido Nippon Kan - Wisconsin